It is time to start thinking about your page(s) in the 2016 Red Rock Annual Delegate Book. This is your opportunity to let your imagination run wild. Fill the pages of the 2016 delegate book with your cats, cattery and friends. Compose your ads and let's celebrate our CFA Annual. Congratulate your friend, promote your Breed Clubs, and promote YOURSELF. Let's make this the best delegate book ever!

I know that I have been delighting in watching spring emerge - the flowering trees here have been spectacular this year and everything just looks so doggone GREEN! Conversely, I'm sure that our readers "down under" are finally getting those crisp autumn nights that are so delightful.

And it's only two weekends until CFA's "year end." Although the temperature isn't high, the tension level certainly can be. Time to take a breath, take a look around, and hug a kitty. Especially, hug a kitty.

Best,

Teresa

Hi Everyone!

Only two weekends left in the current show season. I hope you achieve your goals for the year, whatever they may be. Whether you reach that goal or not, I hope you can look back on this show season as one that you enjoyed and which brings lots of good memories. My own experience over the years is that I have a special bond with the cat I showed, sharing hotel rooms together and so many other one-on-one good times. That's one of my favorite aspects to showing a special cat. That was particularly true this show season.

CFA's fiscal year runs from May 1 through April 30. The current year has been a very successful one for CFA financially. It appears to be our best year in our 110 year history. My thanks to each of you for your support of CFA this year whether through use of CFA's services, purchasing CFA products, volunteering your time and expertise, etc.

One contributing factor to CFA's financial success this year has been the increase in our registrations. It's been dramatic. We have hired additional staff to keep up with the increased workload and you are seeing terrific turnaround time. Each week the board receives statistics on the previous week's registrations. Our latest report indicates 80% of our registrations came via Ecats, our automated registration service. We are currently experiencing same day service. Last Friday the staff processed registrations received that day. For those registrations that arrive via snail mail, last Friday they were processing work received the previous Monday, so a 5-day turn around which beats our goal. Thanks to our great staff for performing so well. If you encounter a problem with a registration that the staff is not satisfactorily handling, please bring the matter to the attention of
Verna Dobbins . Your problem is not going to be resolved by complaining at a show or using social media to vent. Take the problem to someone at the office who can resolve it for you. We want happy, satisfied customers.

The World Cat Congress (WCC)
was established in 1994 to promote better understanding and co-operation among the world's major cat associations. Each year there is a meeting hosted by one of the Member organizations and scheduled to coincide with a cat show at the meeting site. This year's meeting is being held later this month in Bangkok, Thailand. Rachel Anger is CFA's delegate to the WCC. CFA is hosting the WCC event next Spring (2017) in Las Vegas. The Board discussed this at our board meeting earlier this week and we hope to quickly find a suitable facility, schedule a date, and pull together all the pieces required to make this a quality production that reflects well on CFA. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. We would love to have you join us.

I note that I am running unopposed for re-election as CFA President which means in July I will begin my second term serving in that role. The past two years have been a lot of work but also a great deal of satisfaction as I see our association grow and prosper. I look forward to another term serving as CFA's Chief Executive Officer and managing head of this Association.

Terri BarryCFA Executive Director

We are now in the closing weeks of the 2015/2016 Show Season. It is crunch time for C.O. especially for our personnel scoring shows and handling all new upcoming awards and arrangements for the Annual meeting. We anticipate that the improvements and updates made with the IT system since last year's show season will improve this year-end. C.O. is making every effort to respond accurately and in a timely manner to improve our success rate. We have successfully completed a few "dry runs" for year-end reports.

C.O. has recently purchased and installed a new phone system with additional lines. The upgraded system has a directory which allows the caller to reach the proper extension by using the first three letters of the associate's first or last name. It will also allow us to transfer your call to off-site staff, the ability to change our outgoing message, relocate staff without changing extensions, and when on hold play music with a message that we are aware the caller is on hold. The change became necessary as when handsets wore out or when additional lines were needed, new ones were no longer available. Please note a list of extension changes included in the Newsletter. Many thanks to Verna and Brian for their work in the bid and installation process, which resulted in a new, updated and improved system for less than $5,000.00. For once the transition went smooth with only an hour downtime. Verna and Brian are trying to recoup a small portion of the cost by selling our current handsets to a local company still using the system.

With Allene Tartaglia now on staff and running full speed ahead, you may want to keep a close eye on the CFA Annual website. Allene is adding and updating information on a regular basis and there are a number of forms that are available that will give you the ability to handle items online. Keep in mind the many deadlines, some are listed below. One example is, Delegate forms must be post marked or time dated on or before 11:59 p.m. May 2, 2016. Other deadlines are as follows:

Photos for Top 25 wins must be received by May 11 to be included on trophies.

Duplicate trophies must be ordered by Thursday, May 19, to be received at the awards banquet.

Reservations are being received for all the meal functions and for guest rooms at the hotel. Keep in mind the deadline to reserve at the hotel in CFA's block is June 6. Each individual is required to provide a credit card and one night's room and tax deposit at time of reservation. There is a $2.00 per day housekeeping fee, a $7.00 round trip porterage fee and a $14.99 per day resort fee which includes in-room internet, daily newspaper, exercise facilities and the hotel shuttle to and from the airport and the Strip (refer to the Hotel Trans­porta­tion page for complete information, fees are subject to change). After the June 6 cut-off date, any new reservation or date or other changes to an existing room reservation will be accepted based upon space and rate availability. Room reservations cancelled within 48 hours of scheduled arrival will receive a full refund of the one night's room deposit.

The deadline for meal reservations with CFA is June 23. Visit http://cfaannual.org for schedules and information. Please remember the hotel has a "No Pets" policy, however, they are permitting cats for the Judge's Workshop and Feline Agility. CFA is required to provide a list of attendees with cats. Please contact CFA's Special Events Coordinator, Allene, atartaglia@cfa.org, if you are bringing a cat.

The Southwest Region is planning a few surprises for those attending the Hospitality night on Thursday evening and I encourage all to stop by. It will be a great opportunity to catch up and to see what our hosts have in store!

As in past years, Larry Johnson will be available during the awards banquet to take photos of attendees and award recipients.

An important item concerning the upcoming distribution of Award items at the Annual is that due to the cost of shipping awards, awards not picked up at the Annual will be shipped to the winner at their expense. If you are not planning on attending the Annual you may want to make arrangements with someone to have them pick-up your award. The individual will be asked to sign a form that indicates they have picked up the award and for whom.

The Winn Symposium is featuring two guest speakers this year that should be of interest to our breeders they are:

Leslie Lyons, PhD; Gilbreath-McLorn Endowed Professor of Comparative Medicine; University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lyons will be presenting- "Genetics and Precision Medicine: State of the Art Health Care for Cats".

As a last reminder don't forget to place an ad in the Delegate Book - a FULL page B&W ad is only $50 and color is just slightly higher at $75! May 30th is the deadline to receive payments for ads by the Central Office.

Allene and I would like to thank the many volunteers who have stepped forward and continue to offer assistance before and during the Annual. Allene, Pat Zollman (Helms Briscoe representative) and I will visit the Red Rock at the end of the month. Plans are to meet with the Red Rock team to finalize the details for the fast approaching 2016 Annual and we plan to also meet with volunteers who are assisting us locally.

Now it's back to business and the end of the 2015/2016 show season. I want to again wish you luck and safe travels in the closing days. I hope to see many of you shortly in Las Vegas it should be a great time!

CFA International Show

At the CFA Board of Directors' meeting held Tuesday, April 12, the board decided to hold the 2016 CFA International Show in Novi, Michigan on November 19-20th. This was also the location of the 2013 World Show.

CFA Operations

by Verna Dobbins

CFA Club Sponsorship

The 2016-2017 season is about to begin and CFA is again offering sponsorships to help with advertising.

This is a great opportunity to get your show great publicity and help promote CFA.

On the CFA Exhibitor page under show production you will find 2 versions of the questionnaire, the pdf version is for printing off and filling in by hand. Also you will see a Word version; this allows you to fill out the form and email it.

Please DO NOT contact support@cfa.orgfor registration service-oriented questions. This email is to be used if you experience any problems accessing or navigating the e-Cat website. Also, please try an alternative web browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome only.

Central Office Phones

Central Office Staff members now have new extension numbers; you may reference the new extension by clicking this link or the link in the sidebar above.

Agility

There are so many advantages to having an Agility ring at your show. You can usually increase your gate if your club does the proper pre-show publicity about this event.

This is your opportunity to let your imagination run wild. Fill the pages of the 2016 delegate book with your cats, cattery and friends.

Make the 2016 Red Rock Annual Delegate Book a book to remember by congratulating your friends, promoting your Breed Clubs, and promoting YOURSELF.

Refer to the sidebar on the left for advertising rates

CFA's Special Events Coordinator

Allene at work with her Cornish Rex Kali

Allene Tartaglia

March 21, 2016 marked a very special day for me - it was my first day back working for CFA as Special Events Coordinator.

For those of you not familiar with me, I worked for CFA in the New Jersey office starting in 1982 as the assistant to the Executive Director at that time, Tom Dent, and eventually
being the Executive Director for several years until my departure in 2010. I have done and/or am familiar with just about every job in the Central Office and served as editor for the Almanac (when it was a monthly publication) and was the Director of Special Events at various times throughout my career at CFA.

I now work from home in Ocala, FL, enjoying the company of my 3 cats (two Cornish Rex and one Devon Rex) and my husband, Kent Highhouse, while planning and coordinating the Annual Meeting, the International Cat Show and other CFA events. When time allows, I will assist with keeping CFA's brochures and forms up to date. Currently I'm focused on the Annual Meeting and year-end awards and I'm working closely with my supervisor and CFA's Executive Director, Terri Barry, and Shelly Borawski. I am thrilled to be back home at CFA and looking forward to seeing familiar faces in Vegas this June. If you have any suggestions or comments you'd like to share with me, please contact me:
atartaglia@cfa.org.

CFA Judging Program

Annette Wilson

CFA Judging Program Chair

The following judges were advanced at the April 12, 2016 Board Meeting:

If you've read the news regarding
advances in FIP research, you'll also know that funding for this research came from the Winn Feline Foundation and from the Morris Animal Foundation (in addition to the NIH and Kansas State University's Global Food Systems program). Both groups have stories in the April issue of Cat Talk regarding advances in finding a cure for this heartbreaking disease. We're really proud that they shared this very current research with us!

One thing that our readers tell us that they love about Cat Talk is the photos. (we like that too!). I'm always looking for some unique photos that only our readers can give us. Specifically, I'm looking for high resolution photos of pedigreed cats at play, interacting with their humans, just hanging out at home, during the holidays....you get the idea. And of course - cute kitten photos. Want to contribute? Send your photos to me at
tkeiger@cfa.org

Don't miss out on a single issue of Cat Talk Magazine. Renew or begin your subscription
here. Or read online at
Magzter

WINN FELINE FOUNDATION

by Vicki Thayer DVM , Winn Executive Director

A list of our donors contributing $100 or more in March is available here.

Reminder for Winn's 2016 Symposium - The 38th Annual Winn Symposium will be held June 30th from 4-6:30 p.m. at the CFA Annual meeting being held at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. The speakers for the Symposium are:

Dr. Leslie Lyons - "Genetics and Precision Medicine: State of the Art Health Care for Cats!"

Registration fee: $30 per person. One free Symposium registration ticket will be given to each cat club that has donated $100 or more between July 1, 2015 and April 30, 2016 for distribution to a selected attending club member.

April Activities - Winn has just returned from a successful public outreach at the American Animal Hospital Assn. Conference from March 31-April 3. Winn sponsored a continuing education tract at the conference featuring Winn-funded researcher, Dr. Katie Tolbert of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Dr. Tolbert did a presentation on T. foetus infection in cats and was also interviewed for a Winn podcast.

The press release for the 2016 Winn research grants will be available by the end of April.

Planned giving (tax) tip for April - Will you be changing your name because of a marriage, divorce, adoption or other event this year? On your tax return the name you use for yourself, your spouse or a dependent must match the name on record with the Social Security Administration (SSA). If the names on your tax return do not match SSA records it may cause delays when you file your taxes or prevent earnings from being posted to your SSA record. For information about how to change your name with the SSA and get a corrected Social Security card go to: www.ssa.gov. For any questions, please contact info@winnfelinefoundation.org.

By Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

April Legislative Update

The Domestic State of Bengals

In the United States, federal, state and local governments enact laws to define and classify wild animals. These laws are meant to protect, restrict and manage them while also protecting public health and safety. Domestic cats are covered by entirely different laws that address legal ownership, possession, breeding, transport and rabies vaccination. When a domestic animal is bred to a wild animal, jurisdictions may question how to classify the "hybrid" offspring. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through regulation has defined a cross between a wild animal and a domestic animal to be domestic. Many jurisdictions follow this approach. However, a few states and local jurisdictions consider hybrids as wild or becoming domestic after designated generations of breeding to domestic. In these situations, hybrids kept as pets may be restricted in ways different from domestic pets of the same kind.

Now that Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) registered Bengals will be entering our show halls soon, a review of these principles will be helpful in moving forward. The Bengal's ancestor, the Asian Leopard Cat was wild and nonnative. USDA considers the first generation breeding to domestic cats to be domestic for purposes of USDA regulation. However, each state classifies animals according to its own statutes including which animals are classified wild, whether hybrids are included and subject to permits and restrictions that would not apply to domestic animals. Those statutes empower state agencies to make detailed rules to further define and enforce the laws. For the most part, CFA registrable Bengals are now merely domestic cats and may be possessed, owned, bred and cared for as any pet cats. There are a small number of state or local exceptions that are not always easy to determine as currently there is no single definitive list with citations.

Bengals are now a popular breed registered in high numbers and in many associations worldwide. They are shown, bred and owned among the public, so any existing or merely suggested classification as hybrid is cause for concern. Even if classified as hybrids, Bengals of certain generations may still be permissible pets. Classifying them as "exotics" could result in a legal sense of being "thrown to the lions." In 2011, there was the highly publicized 2011 incident in Zanesville, Ohio when a privately owned collection of wild animals including lions and tigers were released into the community with horrific results. Events like the Zanesville release explain why animal protectionists have aggressively campaigned to prohibit private ownership of exotic animals. In most areas, big cats and other dangerous wild animals are already subject to some prohibitions or restrictions and oversight. Unfortunately, some owners are determined to pursue their passions without regard for laws and little for their own or the animals' safety. To avoid misguided classification of Bengals as dangerous exotics requires vigilance.

Domestic Bengals can be vaccinated with rabies vaccines approved for domestic cats by individual state veterinary public health departments when mandated by law or appropriate as determined in consultation with a veterinarian. When traveling, documentation should always accompany the cat. Even when "hybrids" are regulated in discriminatory ways but possession is not prohibited, rabies vaccination approved for use in the respective domestic species is appropriate or even mandated. In fact, The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommends that all carnivores should be vaccinated against rabies even though it is an off label use (Lion Care Manual, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2012.)

As Bengal fanciers with CFA registered catteries and cats head out to shows, they can go with confidence that these cats are legally domestic cats; however, there are still a small number of jurisdictions that still consider otherwise. Individuals need to know the law wherever their Bengals may live and travel.

Please report legislation happening in your area to the Legislative Group - legislation@cfa.org

Please report legislation happening in your area to the Legislative Group - legislation@cfa.org

Program Updates: Happy Spring! As we come to the close of this show season, we are still searching for coordinators for the Hawai'i Division, and Asia. We are looking to split up Asia into different regions as there is so much CFA activity that it's quite a handful for just one person. We are preparing for the annual meeting in June in Las Vegas, and plan to have a social get-together, hopefully on Thursday at the Red Rock Hotel. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can! Please, if you attend a show, drop me a line and send me some pictures! Let me know the types of questions you are getting or if you need help in any area of what we do. Remember, WE are the face of CFA!

Region 3: Janis Walkingstick

Gloria Hoover with her roses; presented at the dinner (below right)

The Oklahoma City Cat Club did it up big for two great judges who are stepping down this year, Willa Hawke and Gloria Hoover. Not only were they discussed during the April 2 show in Oklahoma City, but many people sat down with them at a dinner in their honor. For three hours people laughed and shared stories about the two. It was a bittersweet moment when Willa and Gloria were presented with long stemmed red roses. Willa judged her last allbreed show in Oklahoma City. She still has one shorthair assignment to go in Las Vegas. It was Gloria's very last show. Willa dedicated 50 years to judging for CFA, and Gloria spent 21. Willa founded the Oklahoma City Cat Club in 1967, and led the Ambassador Program for many years. Both ladies will be sorely missed as assets to CFA.

Region 5: Shari Millar

Los Colores Cat Club hosted its annual show in Palm Springs on March 26th, always a favorite venue for everyone. Although there wasnot a large gate, a steady stream of interested spectators asked many questions and petted lots of kitties. Ontario and Las Vegas shows will finish out region 5's season.

Region 6: Candilee Jackson

The MWR hosted two shows during this reporting period, North Shore Cat Club and Cat'n on the Fox presented a lovely show in Wheaton, Illinois, and Cats of Wisconsin in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Sadly, this was the last show for North Shore and Cat'n on the Fox, but the show was a success as it sported an all holidays theme. The show hall was resplendent in the various colors of the holiday, and the mood was high, happy and excited among ambassadors, exhibitors and spectators. There were many first-time cat show visitors, and of course there were tons of questions our ambassadors felt right at home in answering. COWs in April is always so much fun, and although the calendar clearly stated "APRIL," judges, exhibitors and visitors slogged through snow to get to see all the kitties on exhibition! This show also saw many first-timers, and a great deal of fun was had by all.

Region 8: Takako and Masanari Kojima

The Nishi Nihon Cat Club presented a lovely springtime show on March 19-20, 2016, in the ACT III Hall in Osaka, Japan. Just prior to the show, Kenji Takano, all breed judge, passed away: this show was to have been his last judging assignment at the Kansai Area in Japan and the club had planned to celebrate his retirement at the end of April.Before the show, a club officer read message from Kim Everett-Hirsch who knew well Kenji and Yaeko Takano-san well. All exhibitors and judges had a moment of silent prayer for him. We pray Kenji-san rest in peace.

On a happier note, Takako took Raptor as an ambassador work: on Saturday, one couple came to see Raptor as soon as they passed gate. "They wanted to touch Raptor and then put Raptor on husband's shoulder. Probably they knew Raptor from our website. The husband seemed so happy to have a cat on his shoulder!"

A young girl came to ambassador booth who had been to this show before, and wanted to adopt an Abyssinian. She had lost the card with the name of the breeder, so Takako took her to the breeder who promised to take good care of you. "I hope she will be able to get a good cat in the near future. We should treat kindly such a spectator who are interesting of showing and breeding in CFA."

"On Sunday, one boy came to show hall with his parents, and wanted to communicate with Raptor like we do. Without our suggestion the boy began to touch Raptor softly. At first Raptor was sleeping in the bed however, the boy came closer until he was able to hug Raptor. Raptor looked very happy with him. I suppose he will come to show hall to see Raptor again!"

One exhibitor asked me how to get CFA Registration number for showing. Unfortunately, the pedigree she had only showed 4 generations and she could not contact the breeder. Takako stated he had experienced several instances like this and he is sorry he can't help more.

We prepared over 50 ASK Me Pamphlets and all were given out. .

On this weekend, as usual, many breeders came to ambassador booth to pick it up for their new owners. We prepared 50 ASK ME pamphlets and they were gone at show's end. "This is very nice tool for new exhibitor and spectator."

International Division: Phebe Low

UFO show rosettes

Hosted by the UFO Cat Club, the Easter Championship Cat Show was held in Hong Kong on March 26-27 at the community center of Yau Ma Tei. There were many walk-in visitors who were very inquisitive and curious about what was going on inside the show hall. The ambassadors briefed visitors about basic show mechanics and introduced how judges pick their finals. Hercules, Phebe's one-year-old purring Bombay boy, adored being hugged and petted by everyone. "It was such a wonderful weekend to meet new faces answer questions about our lovely furry friends."

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Region 1

by Geri Fellerman, Regional Director

The show season is winding down and I know a lot of exhibitors are feeling sad knowing that their travel companion for this show season will soon be retiring. We in Region 1 are all looking forward to our traditional end of the show season show presented by Sign of the Cat and Nova in Easton, PA. Always a lot of fun and many celebrations will be visible.

Lynn Jordan and Robert Hallead supervising in the kitchen at the Delaware show

I need to say a few words about two recent New Jersey shows, National Norwegian Forest Cat and Delaware River. Talk about your talented and hard working club members. Both shows were catered by club members with the best home-made food ever from soup to dessert. Be sure to check out both of these shows next year.

Kicking off the next show season will be Seacoast's show in Concord, NH - usually sharing a weekend with the Greater Lancaster show in York, PA, this year brings us an extra weekend so each show can have a separate weekend. So come to NH for the ice cream social and spend the following weekend enjoying the apple dumplings in York! A great time is guaranteed at both locations. Come join in the fun.

Region 2

Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary

Region 2 had a number of fine shows in March. We had McKenzie River Cat Club show on March 12 and 13 in Portland, Oregon and then the Idacats show in Boise. Idaho on the following weekend. After that the Crow Canyon show held in Pleasanton, California.

The McKenzie River show offered a new perspective on cat shows. The idea was from one of our sponsors, Eric Grushkin, with Almost Invisible Cat Litter, Anti-Icky Poo and biodegradable cat litter disposable bags. Eric furnished a litter pan, litter and two biodegrable bags for each exhibitor. Eric says that the show halls' biggest complaint is the disposal of used cat litter. It was suggested that each exhibitor use the bags to dispose of the litter before placing in the waste containers.

Since Portland, Oregon is a leader in recycling, we felt this was a great opportunity to educate our exhibitors and our spectators. We also gave out the bags as our spectators came into the show. Thanks to the CFA sponsorship, we had a record number of spectators. We had placed ads in the traditional Oregonian and Richard Ashton, our publicity director, had found a couple of other newspapers that catered to a younger population. Great idea Richard!

We had just one show this April. The Puget Sound Cat Club held their traditional show on April 9th in Longview, Washington. This is a one day six ring show. The exhibitors had a good time and the sounds in the show hall showed that it was the fun show that the club had planned it to be. Unfortunately the attendance was low. Thus this will be their last show on this date. The plans are to work with McKenzie River and put on one show on the traditional March date.

Our next show is the North Pacific Siamese Fanciers held in Issaquah, WA on May 14th. You do not want to miss this lovely show. It is always fun and a welcome to the new show season.

Tammy Roark, our regional treasurer, is looking for sponsors for the regional award winners. It has been especially exciting with the National Scoring of the Household Pet Division. Our Household Pet division has always been very active and a welcome part of our CFA shows.

Region 3

by Steve McCullough, Regional Director

What a wild month for Region 3. We have had a few shows in a row to finish out the show season.

Our trail of fun started with Ozark and Wildcatters in Cleburne, then head down to Gonzales for Greater Baton Rouge Cat Clubs excellent show. The Jean Bassett awards were handed out and were greatly appreciated by the winners.

We followed up in Oklahoma City with a great show and dinner reception for our retiring judges, Gloria Hoover and Willa Hawke. We had a few laughs and shared a few tears as they will both be missed in Region 3. Then off to Denver for another great Foot of the Rockies Cat Club show. Lots of laughs and fun was had by many of the exhibitors. We are finishing the "end of the show season" race in Mesquite, TX with the North Texas Cat Club and Fort Worth Cat Clubs hotel show. How about all of our new grands these past few weeks!! Way to go!!

C
heck out the photos of Willa and Gloria (left) and there will be an article on them and the other retiring judges in the June issue of Cat Talk. I would be remiss if I didn't mention another "former" Region 3 judge retiring, Jody Garrison. Although Jody moved to Florida, she is still a Texan at heart. Congratulations to all of our retiring judges this year.

On April 2-3, Mid-Ohio Cat Fanciers held their annual show in Mansfield, OH. Many of CFA's top contenders were included in the 194 cats and kittens entered in our show. Saturday Mother Nature decided we needed to see all of her weather sides. There was sun, rain, sleet, snow, thunder, and even some hail in parts of the area. Thankfully most of the inclement weather stopped by 5pm. Sunday the club held a 50/50 raffle with proceeds benefiting STOP THE OVERPOPULATION OF PETS (S.T.O.P.). The raffle collected $1100 with $550 being donated to S.T.O.P. Jim Flanik won the other half of the 50/50 raffle and he generously donated $300.00 to S.T.O.P. The two-day raffle gave away many prizes to exhibitors and even some spectators, including a 40" HDTV, which was won by an exhibitor.

Mid-Ohio Cat Fanciers thanks everyone who attended our show and helped in any way to make it a huge success!

Please put our next show, April 1-2, 2017 on your schedules!!

Just Cat-In Around Cat Fanciers

The Just Cat In Around Cat Fanciers held their annual spring show on April 9, in Melvindale, Michigan. As many April shows are, it was highly competitive, with exhibitors from many areas of the country. There were many top cats in prime conditions, and a number of lovely champions either earned points, or finished their grand championship or premiership titles. The club held a successful raffle, and had some gate, so we believe we were profitable, which keeps us going for the future! Thanks to all who helped this show be a success! Congratulations to Best Kitten in show Tsar Blu's Zamelia, a lovely Russian Blue female owned and bred by Donna Fulle; Best Cat in Championship GC Purrelli Cold as Ice of Ivy Cat, a blue Exotic owned by R & P DeGolyer, T Metcalf, and M Perkins; and Best Cat in Premiership GP Katskans Dixie Crystal of Kyetrak, a brown patched tabby and white Manx! Just Cat In Around Cat Fanciers was formed in 1982, and has produced at least one show a year since that time. Although a Michigan based club, we have members from many states who help to make the club a success!

Be sure to mark your calendar with our upcoming shows:

April 16-17 Cincinnati Cat Club at Hamilton, OH 7AB 1SPCINCINNATI CAT CLUB will hold its 64th annual Cat Show at the new state of the art, multipurpose Exhibition building at the Butler County Fairgrounds on April 16- 17. The show will have 10 rings, with 6 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. This opens up a whole new area for spectators, just north and west of Cincinnati proper.

The hall is heated and air-conditioned for everyone's comfort and is easy to access, off I-75 (exit 24 west) and St Rt. 129. Ten miles from I75, turn right onto N Erie Hwy, go one mile, and show hall is on the right.

April 23 Cat Nation Fanciers at Erie, PA 5AB and 1 SPCAT NATION CAT FANCIERS will be holding its 27th Annual Cat Show on April 23, 2016 at the JMC Ice Arena, 423 West 38th Street, Erie, PA. This is a ONE-DAY show! We hope to see you there for the last show of the season and those last points. There will be wonderful judges, vendors and, of course, food! Please support the show so it can continue on for next year!

May 7 Anthony Wayne Cat Fanciers at Ann Arbor, 5 AB and 1 SP

"Come One, come All!" to the Anthony Wayne show May 7.

New show season, new cats and kittens. In Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lots of great restaurants to pick from. Justine St. Arnaud will be present to take those last minute pictures you need for upcoming awards or just for your cattery records. We will have our usual great raffle. If you have treasures you would like to pass along to others please bring them to the show.

Thanks for thinking of our show. Hope to see you there.

We will have our usual Friday night get together at the Schreck's house. You and yours are invited. Official invite to follow closer to the show.

May 21 Almost Heaven Cat Club with Western PA Cat Fanciers, Charleston. WV, 5AB and 1 SP

We're Back!!! Almost Heaven Cat Club will hold a Cat Show at the Charleston Civic Center, 200 Civic Drive, Charleston, WV 25301. This is a wonderful facility across the street from the Charleston Town Center Mall.

Our one-day 5 AB, 1 SP show will be held in conjunction with Western PA Cat Fanciers. There will be wonderful judges, vendors and a great raffle.

As we come closer to the end of the show season, everyone needs to be thinking about the awards show and banquet at the Wyndam West Hotel in Indianapolis. Remember, it takes a village to make wonderful things happen.

1. Pictures: Cathy Dunham is beginning to piece together the awards booklet and get things organized awards preparation - she needs your pictures (high resolution) asap! Deadline: May 13th
2. Sponsorships: Lucy Drury is handling sponsorships this year, and the donation prices are the same as last year:

4. On The Road Again: Roger Dunham as a special email just for OTRA: mwregional@mediacombb.net

Show Reports:

Cat'n On the Fox, March 26-27

Sadly, the MWR said goodbye to another show: March 26-27
th North Shore and Cat'n on the Fox hosted their final show in Wheaton, Illinois. The cozy show hall was decorated for the holidays, ALL the holidays, and each ring welcomed exhibitors with the trappings of all our wonderful holidays. Judges were asked to wear appropriate colors to match their ring décor, and the mood was festive. Each day was capped off with the show's traditional fried chicken dinner, and everyone had a chance to lunch together. The busiest person during the weekend was show manager, Paul Patton, "Mr Money-bags" as he scooted from ring to ring to pass out crisp two dollar bills to finalists. In an effort to divest themselves of their treasuries, cash awards were given at all finals. Club members assured everyone they were still staying together as a club and a show could be in the cards at some future date.

"Cat'n On the Fox and North Shore show was awesome. I've always loved the relaxing atmosphere and the awesome club members are above-and-beyond accommodating! It's incredibly sad to see the show (and the clubs) go. But, on a happy note, between me, Vanessa, and St. Sophia's, we won $348 (including donations from other exhibitors who were feeling charitable with their winnings)!!! The money is going to the rescue, and guess what we're getting!? Show cages! We're excited; now we can help find more cats loving homes! Thanks for all the fun this weekend! The St. Sophia's kitties thank you!"

Lauren E. Rizzo

Cats of Wisconsin, April 8

Lauren Rizzo and her friend, Vanessa, attended COWs and showed in household pets. "We had a lot of fun, and the most memorable part of the show was GETTING there! On April 2nd, we drove at 7am from Chicago to Waukesha through a complete white-out blizzard, watching cars around us doing spin-outs and even saw one go off a ravine. We texted Brian Tripp that we were on our way and told him not to start the show without us. In all of the hullabaloo, Brian and Troy accidentally left their HHP at home, so we only had 9 cats in our division, but it was lots of fun!" Lauren and Vanessa reported that "food was great, the vendors were good, and the judges were awesome. For a one-day show, it packed a punch, and we can't wait until next year!" Thankfully, their ride home that evening was uneventful!

After-show Glow: Kirk and Candilee Jackson would like to invite judges, clerks, stewards and exhibitors who attend the August 6th MWR/TGIF fundraising show to a barbecue their home following tear-down!

MWR Brags:

Sherrie Phelps is excited to announce her new grand, GC Charodey Joshua of Slava, a 10-month old brown mackerel tabby male Siberian. The breeder is Natalya Tardif and owner is Sherrie Phelps.

Roger and Cathy Dunham are pleased to announce a new Grand of Distinction in the Britzohoney Cattery. GC, GPD, RW Gleadom's Kadin of Britzohoney achieved her Grand of Distinction in style. This is a well-deserved title for a 10 year old Sphynx spay that has loved the show hall from day one. Kadin was breed by Sue and Don Gleason, and is lovingly staffed by Roger and Cathy Dunham.

Donna Zimmerman was pleased as punch to have a "double whammy" at the Mo-Kan show in March: her 15 year-old calico HHP, Chloe, became a grand champion, and her red tabby and white Manx, Fuzzy-Foots All Fired Up, earned its Grand of Distinction! Congratulations to breeders Jim and Cathy Dineson and owner, Donna Zimmerman!

John and Sueann Spinder are so excited over their FIRST home-grown grand! GC Mollymaines' Little Bear, a red mc-tabby and white Maine Coon, granded at Lincoln State! And if that wasn't enough joy in the Spinder household, GP Mollymaines' Irish Red granded at Cat'n on the Fox! Their first home-grown litter! Congrats!

Breeder/owners Gene and Marci Baturin are very pleased to announce GC Samovar Merida, a Russian Blue female, became a grand champion at COWs.

Breeder/owner, Mary Janes Tesdall has the pleasure to announce her new grand: GC Pur-N-Fur Baxter, a brown spotted tabby Exotic Male became a grand at the Illini Show.

The DeGolyers and Calhouns are jazzed to have a ONE-SHOW GRAND! Congratulations go out to GP 5800 Dreams Street Sense 2007, a black and white Maine Coon neuter, that granded at Cat'n on the Fox. The lovely boy was bred by Kathy and Greg Calhoun, and is loved by Rick and Pam DeGolyer.

June 6-7 MWR Region Award Show Wyndam West Hotel, Indianapolis IN and Banquet

August 6 MWR/TGIF Fundraiser Purina Farms, Gray Summit, MO (St Louis)

Region 7

by Jean Dugger, Regional Director

Coastal Paws held its show on the third weekend of March at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC. It's a great facility for a show and everyone had a great time. Sarah Seifert was show manager, and they had a great raffle with lots of goodies, along with a great group of vendors! Thank you to Sarah and Coastal Paws - 12 rings with lots of points - with end of the season crunch time upon us!

The Tennessee Valley CF show was held the last weekend of March in Knoxville, Tennessee. The club enjoyed a great gate and the exhibit hall was packed with spectators! The local rescue group had kitties for adoption on display, and there were lots of vendors. At the end of the show, the club awarded the highest scoring Persians with a special rosette honoring Betty Spencer. For anyone who doesn't know them, Betty was a founding member of the Tennessee Valley club, and contributed many years to CFA. Their daughter, Danielle (Des to us), has carried on their Persians with some gorgeous ones of her own, and she and her dad are an integral part of the club. I was honored that my girl was the recipient of this Betty Spencer award in premiership. Thank you to TVCF for this special memory, and reminding us why we do this.

Mad Catters' annual Easter show was also the last weekend of March in Frederick, MD. Friends for Life Cat Rescue Group covered the gate and presented their rescue cats to the spectators. it was a great success and they had several adoption applications completed as a result of their participation.

The show itself was dedicated to Dave and Shirley Peet's Heart Cat - HOPE. Everyone was encouraged to remember their special Heart Cat and hold them in special memory.

The show began with an announcement concerning the passing of Jo Ann Cummings and everyone was encouraged to share a special story about Jo Ann Cummings. Lyn Knight started by telling a story about Jo Ann pulling her to the side at one of Lyn's very first shows and took time to gently explain the importance of grooming, even the belly of the cat. Jo Ann did this with such grace and respect, that it had lasting impact of Lyn. Throughout the day, others continued to share all their personal stories about the impact Jo Ann Cummings had on their lives. (I remember that Jo Ann granded Krystalle in championship in 2003 (my first national winner) at this show! Somewhere I have a special picture of Jo Ann with Krystalle on her table. You can see Jan Wydro (he and Bonnie lived close to us) in the front row, cheering her on. Special memories!!

Another special announcement was also made that in 1999 Tracy Petty and Jan Stevens judged their first show as Specialty judges at Frederick, MD. (They were also both judging at this show!)

The last Southern Region show of the season was Gasparilla Feline Friends show in Melbourne, FL on April 9th. The Florida weather was beautiful and lots of spectators came out to the show. Retiring judge Barbara Sumner was treated to a beautiful cake and some gifts by the club, and we spent a few moments down memory lane, talking about her Persians. Barbara's contributions to CFA as a breeder and as a judge have been enormous! She will be sorely missed and always remembered!Thank you Barbara - especially from the Southern Region. We are so proud of you.Upcoming Events in the Southern Region

At the annual show the first weekend of May, Rebel Rousers will also hold an HCM clinic. Anyone interested in bringing cats to be scanned, there are still a few slots available. Information is available on the show flyer (at catshows.us) or contact Dr. Karen Thomas to reserve an appointment (kvet@bellsouth.net).

CLERKING SCHOOL

The Southern Region will also host a clerking school on Friday, in conjunction with our regional show the second weekend of June. Clerking gives you to an understanding of how the points are awarded, and clubs are often looking for people to clerk at their shows. You can make a little money and help make the shows possible. Please email Karen Thomas for information to sign up for this clerking school.

Lastly, I am soliciting suggestions and ideas for articles or insertions into our upcoming yearbook. Perhaps a "heart cat" section - or a place for special memories or pictures?? We want to make the CFA Yearbook a special memory book - a history of the year for everyone! Let us know how we can include your special memories - so you can be a part of CFA History!!

Region 8

by Edward Maeda, Regional Director

Nyanko Yekohama and Mt. Fuji Hokkaido Cat Clubs' joint show held on March 26, 2016 in Tokyo.It was a one day six-ring show. Many exhibitors attended this show. Judges were Yaeko Takano, Yukiko Hayata, Yoshiko Sada, Yayoi Satoh, Etsuko Hamayasu, Toshihiko Tsuchiya(SH). Yaeko Takano judged in good situation after her the recent loss of her husband. The catalog cover page was picture of cat with Japanese Kimono, very beautiful and gorgeous Kimono. (left)In March and April for end of show season, many shows held and are scheduled in Tokyo. Please keep good condition on your cats and kittens.

Region 9

by Michael Hans Schleissner

The show season is close to its end; the focus is on our upcoming shows May 2016. First of all the new season starts on April 30/2016. So there is no big brake like in the past over here in Europe.

Felinus is a new club and this is the first show. When Felinus International was founded one of the targets was to work on education for new judges. This first show is also a start for this target. On Thursday 28 and Friday 29 a Breed Awareness and Orientation School will take place. It would be great if many interested people would join this event. It can only be a success when you join! Peter Vanwonterghem and his team would love to welcome you.

Once again a very comfortable show place, close to the Frankfurt Airport. Cat Friends of Germany will host the Region 9 Awards Banquet for the 2015 / 2016 show season; don't miss to be a part of this event. Telling you no secret; this will be a trend setting event with lots of great surprises - Region 9 Goes Broadway !!

Hope to see you on these events

International Division

Dick Kallemyer, International Division Chair

Planning for the 2015-2016 awards has begun. The awards banquet will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on August 27. Due to the complexities of quarantine laws, no associated show will be held.

The International Division had 16 shows during March with shows in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore and Thailand. The China Central Cat Fancier club had their first show in concert was a large Pet Expo

at one of the largest exhibition venues in Shanghai.

Hong Kong SH judge Nicolas Pun

The show venue had a very large gate with many attendees getting their first exposure to pedigreed cats. An AKC dog show was held in a separate area of the show hall.

Hong Kong LH judge Suki Lee

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